Insect destroyer



Sept. 22, 1925.

- F. MADLE INSECT DESTROYER Filed Aug. 9. 1,923

Patented Sept. 22, 1925 7 UNITEDSTATES FRANK MA LLE, or nnnwvn,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR r onuvan MANUFACTURING COM- IPANY, or CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, A conroan'rrcn OF ILLINOIS.

Insnc'r nn's'rnoxnn.

Application filed Au uste, 192a. seriarmesasea To allwh'om z't mayconcern:

Be it known, that I, FRANK-MADLE, a

citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of Berwyn, Cook County,Illinois, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in and forInsect Destroyers, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention rel tes to improvements in'insect destroyers of the typepopularly termed fly s'watters and has for its object to provide astructure of'this character including a flexible foraminous element andmeans for securing same to a suitable stem, the invention being moreparticularly directed to a detail of construction of the securing meanswhereby breakage of the flexible element at its base portion isprevented while, at'the same time, the said securing means are given amore graceful and attract ve appearance and a somewhat greater area,thereby adapting the same for receiving or hearing advertising matter,these de-' vices being extensively manufactured and sold as advertisingnovelties.

Thepresent. invention relates more particularly to an improvement uponthe struc ture particularly illustrated and described in Letters Patentto C. L. ,Cruver, No. 1,110,312, dated September, 15', 1914.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment ofthe invention:

' Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a fly swatter constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the same, partly in elevation, onewall of the means or deviceifor securing the flexible ele-' ment to thestem or handle being cut away.

The device comprises a wire handle 1, terminating at one end in 'twoopposed L- shaped projections 2, having free parallel arms 3. Theactually aligned portions 4 of said L-shaped projections areengaged bytongues 5 extending from the inner end of the flexible element 6 whichis composed preferably of ordinary wire screen such as is used forwindow screens, said projections ,5 being folded over upon the bodyportion 6 around said portions 40f the handle. The

side edges and outer end of the member 6 a e bound with a b rder 7Meet-able tabri or other material'secured theretoby stitch- Ing orotherwise, said binding being partly d sposed between portions 3 of saidarms.

The said L-shapedprojections, are, with the exception of the cornerportions towhichth reference characters 2 are applied, compl'etelyhoused between opposed wall portions 8 of a plate which is suitablyfolded upon itself at a suitable median line, so that the member 6 andthe binding 7 thereof are quite snugly clamped between said opposed wallportions 8, the portions of the latter receiving the portions 1 and 3 ofthe L- shaped projections, being formed to substantially tubular shapeby the same. The plates or wall portions 8 are held against separa tionby doubling the metal housing and arms 3, but-may be otherwise suitablyheld against such separation.

The edge portions of the plates or wall portions 8 lying-between'theextremities of the arms 3 includes a middle portion overlapping themember 6 to a greater extent than the side edge portions, said advantagepreferably describing a graceful double ogee curve, as shown. Thus inflexing the member 6, as happens in the use of the device, it is foundthat flexion is distributed over a greater length of the member 6 thanis the case where the upper or outer edges of the plates or wallportions 8 are straight or substantially straight in a line extendingfrom one side edge portion to the other thereof. The life of the devicehas been found in practice to be very materially increased by suchformation of the plates 8,

besides rendering the device more attractive wall portions 8 aredisclosed in the aforesaid patent, the present invention being limitedas defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an insect destroyer including a handle having divergent arms atone end and a flexible. element secured to said arms, a

plate forming a pair of opposed relatively inflexible wall portionssecured to said arms and disposed upon opposite sides of the saidflexible element over an area adjacent its connection with said arms tothereby maintain said portion thereof i flexible, the free edges of saidWall portions extending laterally of said flexible member being curvedto provide for the intermediate portions thereof to 'proje'etfartherthan theend portions thereof over said flexible element.

2. An insect destroyer comprising. a .Wire handle provided with opposedl '-sl1'a'ped arms, a flexible element including portions engaged withthe divergent portions oi": said armsand having *its side edges disposedparallel with and eontignons to the parallel port-ions offsaid arms, aplate forming a pai r oi opposed substantially inflexible Wall portionsdisposed upon opposite sides'of the portion of said parallel arms andeach presenting a double ogee curved outer edge portion, the middleportions of said Wall portions bordered by said curved edge eonsiitilting projectionsextending partly over the .body of the flexiblemember disposed beyond the'are a'bordered by said L-sheped arms andservi ng, to prevent bending of said flexible member along a straightlateral line while increasing the areas and attractiveness of said wallportions. v p

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 30 day ofJuly,A. D. 1923.

' FRANK MADLE.

